Tools

The open development movement and its use of open data is an exciting movement gaining attention and is being adopted in different sectors. For my work at Cordaid, as an international development organization, it’s interesting to explore different tools and platforms available to visualize, analyze and refine our own dataset and that of others. What I have tried to do in this section, is use our own dataset and those of others, with different tools available online so that I have some examples to show my colleagues at work what the options are, but also to document my experience using the different tools. Because, as mentioned earlier, open development is about being open, so why not share my experience I thought.

This section of tools not only provides me with experience of how to use the different platforms, but also lets me explore which platforms can be used for what purpose, be it for stakeholder interaction, project reporting, strategic decision making or purely as a communication tool. There are of course lots of tools already out there and many more in development and I will not be able to cover them all. I will keep it to the scope of this section to tools and platforms applicable to the world of international development in the sense of functionality and costs. So below, please find a selection of tools available that are easy to use, accessible in terms of costs and provide added value to your organization and your stakeholders.